בדרך למספרה חשבתי שאני לא צריכה להסתפר, אבל בסוף החלטתי שכן.

On the way to the hair salon I thought I did not need a haircut, but in the end I decided that I did.

Breakdown of בדרך למספרה חשבתי שאני לא צריכה להסתפר, אבל בסוף החלטתי שכן.

• אני: I
• אבל: but
• לא: not
• ב: on

Questions & Answers about בדרך למספרה חשבתי שאני לא צריכה להסתפר, אבל בסוף החלטתי שכן.

Why is there no אני before חשבתי and החלטתי?

Because Hebrew often drops subject pronouns when the verb already makes the subject clear.

חשבתי already means I thought, and החלטתי already means I decided. Adding אני is possible, but it usually adds emphasis or contrast.

So:

• חשבתי = I thought
• אני חשבתי = I thought / I was the one who thought

What is the ש־ doing in שאני and שכן?

The prefix ש־ means that in this sentence.

So:

• שאני = that I
• שכן = that yes

It introduces a subordinate clause after verbs like thought, said, knew, decided, and so on.

Why is it צריכה and not צריך?

Because צריכה is the feminine singular form, so it shows that the speaker is female.

The word צריך / צריכה agrees with the person who needs something:

• אני צריך = I need / I am supposed to... (male speaker)
• אני צריכה = I need / I am supposed to... (female speaker)

Notice that חשבתי and החלטתי do not show gender here, but צריכה does.